


That's the Dream

by RedBird1991



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aliens, Angst, Fluff, I suck at tags, Implied Relationship, M/M, Making Out, Pre-Kerberos Mission, SHEITH - Freeform, Shiro - Freeform, because what would we do without some angst lbr, keith - Freeform, keith/shiro - Freeform, kind of I think?, snickerdoodle cupcakes, then it's not so implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 18:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11880405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedBird1991/pseuds/RedBird1991
Summary: Keith reflects on the final day that he and Shiro had before the Galaxy Garrison's launch to Kerberos. As painful as it is to admit that times like those might never happen again, the memories help him prepare to pilot the Black Lion. (Prone to be edited when I think of a better summary. I'm so sorry.)





	That's the Dream

“Good work, team,” Shiro high-fived Matt and Keith as they stepped out of the flight simulation and into the Garrison hallway. Matt’s smile lit up his face in accomplishment and Keith lightly punched Shiro’s shoulder, “Couldn’t have done it without you, Shiro.” 

Shiro laughed, his dark bangs bounced against his face with the motion, “You would’ve been fine.”  
“Everyone would’ve come out burned alive,” Keith’s tone was barely laced with humor. Matt pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, knowing far too well not to take Keith seriously, “Now that’s giving yourself too much credit, Kogane.”  
“Are you offering to navigate through the minefield next time?” An eyebrow arched just barely grazing against a strand of his black bangs.  
Matt pursed his lips in contemplation before admitting defeat, “Touche.”  
The three smiled as they walked down the hallway in synch, their arms crossed over each others’ shoulders with Matt, being the shortest, in the middle. 

“I’m going to miss you, Keith.”

The words bounced off the walls like a gong that shook through the floor and trailed up through Keith’s core. Keith’s steel blue eyes glanced at Matt before tucking his head in and let his bangs hide his face as best as it could.  
Matt continued, “It’s cool my dad is filling in as the Senior Commander on this mission, but we’ve got a good team here. The three of us.” He looked between Keith and Shiro and smiled, “It’s not going to be the same.”  
Keith let out a sigh, “Yeah.” His mouth lifted in a small smile as his gaze shifted between the other two, “I’m gonna miss you guys, too.” 

The light in Matt’s face dulled a hair when he caught the sadness in Keith’s eyes. He stopped and dropped his arms from their shoulders to hold Keith’s bicep with a steady grip.  
Shiro and Keith stopped with him then turned to form a small group circle of three.  
“You know you’ll be okay, right?”  
Keith knew Matt was talking to him and shifted his head to the side with a shrug in an unconvincing, “I know” way. It had been a rough couple of years and a number of threats of Keith being expelled from the Garrison, but it wasn’t anything they hadn’t worked through. 

That was the problem. Keith had never had to fight to stay at the Garrison without either of his crew by his side, especially Shiro. Now that he’d been promoted to a Senior Officer, he’d been the one to secure Keith’s place in the school. With both of them gone, Keith didn’t know what was going to happen if Iverson pulled him into his office to threaten him again. 

Matt shook Keith’s arm, “Hey.”  
Keith locked his eyes on Matt’s, filled with golden excitement, before nodding, “I know, Matt.”  
“You’ll be fine.”  
“I know.” Keith took in a deep breath and exhaled, stating more to himself, “I’ll be fine.” He looked to Shiro and repeated, “I’ll be fine.” 

Most would think Shiro was being insensitive for giving Keith no reaction; however, it was what Keith needed in that moment. It was what they both needed. The less emotions displayed, the easier it would be to get through it all.  
Keith hadn’t noticed that Matt had been speaking and snapped his attention to the boy.  
“-I mean, we’ll be back and maybe even in time for your graduation.”  
Keith smiled with Matt and playfully jerked away from Matt’s quick burst of shoulder punches. 

Shiro smiled at the two and straightened his shoulders with a soft grunt, “We should head to the office and see our report. That may have been our best simulation test yet.” 

Shiro smiled and winked at Keith, who smirked back, before an arm whipped around his neck and hauled him back into their previous formation by a much-too-loud-during-class-times Matt who whooped in excitement.

~~~

Keith’s boots echoed against the floor of the hallway as he scanned over a paper, covered in a graph and tally marks, of his team’s simulation results. 

Shiro was right. They had broken their personal record. 

He glanced up in time to catch Shiro in his dorm room at the end of the hall. Keith was always struck by the visual appeal of Shiro. Most days he glanced and admired for a few seconds before turning away, but today was different. Today, in that moment, he soaked it up. He took his time scanning over his dark undercut and long fringe, the contours of his face and arms, the ripples across his abdomen, the dip from his torso into his thin waist.  
Shiro was a stunner and a sight for the sorest of eyes, but it didn’t matter how much muscle he put on, Keith always saw the demeanor of a large dog who longed to be a lap dog.  
Shiro easily looked intimidating, but he wasn’t known to intimidate. Well, except for when he was provoked, but that was difficult to do. 

Keith admitted that he’d hit that button a few times too many when they’d first met. Even then, he hadn’t hit Shiro’s buttons nearly enough to really anger him. He’d tried to at one point. During one of his lowest points starting out at the Garrison, he’d tried to drive Shiro off as best as he could, but, damn it all, Shiro saw right through him and only placed a hand on his shoulder with the softest voice he could muster as Keith shook from frustration.

“Keith, look, I don’t want to force you to talk to me, but I’m not going away. I heard what happened. You’re not going to fight this alone. I’m here. I’m always here. I’m not giving up on you, you hear me? I’m not giving up on you! We’re getting through this. Together.”

Years later, Keith still felt that warmth and comfort from Shiro’s hug that encompassed his whole being. He had quit all efforts to get rid of Shiro after that. He knew there was no use, so instead he’d learned to lean into Shiro’s comfort a little more each day. 

Keith blinked the memory away and refocused on the young officer again. In his officer pants and a white tank that Keith swore he’d rip if he flexed too hard, Shiro stood near the open door and pinned a piece of paper on the wall with a soft smile. Keith figured it was their results. 

With his hair swinging across his face, he picked up a jog toward the door. The officer lifted his head in acknowledgement at the call of his name even though his gaze remained fixed on the paper with his hands on his hips. He hummed in satisfaction and he stretched his shoulders back. 

Instinctively, Keith crossed his arms against his chest and leaned against the door frame just behind Shiro.  
“I’m proud of us,” Shiro finally spoke.  
“Yeah. It’s pretty cool.” 

Shiro could hear Keith’s smile through his words and he reminded himself this wouldn’t be the last time he’d hear the boy speak like that. 

“Um,” Keith tilted his head back until it hit the frame as Shiro turned around to face him. “What are you doing tonight?”  
“I was going to change then ask you the same thing.”  
“You’re not going to the party?”  
Shiro shrugged with a small twist of his mouth, “Not really feeling it.” Keith raised an eyebrow before Shiro continued, “I might make an appearance.”  
Keith pushed off the doorframe and leaned in towards Shiro. “That’d be good for your reputation,” he mumbled as he reached for Shiro’s shoulder and plucked a strand of long black hair from the shirt strap. Oops.  
Shiro lifted a brow and focused between the strand of Keith’s hair and Keith’s smirk that he was trying so hard to hide. “Mine or your’s?”

Keith held the strand of hair like a dirty wet rag then broke his thumb and index fingers apart to let it fall to the floor. He pouted at Shiro’s comeback and wanted so badly to banter. Unfortunately, his “snarky jar,” as Matt called it, was coming up empty. 

Keith crossed his arms and huffed, “Caught me.” 

Shiro’s shoulders bounced gently with his laughter. With a shake of his head and a smile, Keith patted Shiro’s chest and made his way out of the room, “I’ll meet you at Orion’s place later.” 

Orion’s place was code between the two that referenced the roof of the Garrison. The constellation, Orion, was always right above the horizon during most of the night and it was rare that they didn’t sit on the edge and stare at it during their conversations.

Shiro leaned his shoulder against the doorframe as he watched Keith walk away. Before he got too far he called out, “It’d be good to show your face too, you know!”

Keith whipped around and Shiro swore he’d been a runway model in another life. He walked backwards as he called back, “You’ll see my face while I’m grabbin’ food!”  
“And then Orion’s!”  
Keith smiled and nodded, “And then Orion’s.” 

~~~

Laughter, balloons, food, distant music, and conversation filled the air around Shiro in the large gymnasium. Normally, the sensation energized him; it encouraged him to include his voice in the noise, thrive off of it.  
Tonight, however, it felt constrictive. He felt the roof lower itself over the room and the walls only crushed everyone closer together like a growing mosh pit with Shiro caught in the middle of it, about to be whacked with flailing arms and unbalanced half jump half kicks. 

He wanted out, but he found no escape.

The cadets and officers crowded around him with eager questions, “I’ll miss you”s, and congratulatory handshakes were greeted with a bright smile and a naturally social Senior Officer Takashi Shirogane. 

As far as they were concerned, Takashi Shirogane was too excited to be anxious about his team’s departure the next morning. 

As far as they were concerned, Takashi Shirogane was too excited to leave Earth to worry about the boy he didn’t really want to leave behind. 

As far as they were concerned, Takashi Shirogane was too polite to let them notice that his focus was really on that same boy who weaved himself in between the food line to stack a plate with handfuls of pizza bites and Doritos. 

As far as they were concerned, Takashi Shirogane didn’t want to leave unless Keith would be by his side, but orders were orders. 

Orders were orders. 

So Shiro continued to smile. He continued to feign eagerness for the morning. He continued to shake every hand offered to him with the greatest of confidence and authority. He continued to talk until the crowd diminished from him. 

That wouldn’t be until almost two hours later.

~~~

Two pairs of legs dangled off the edge of the Garrison roof. They swayed gently from the late night breeze and bumped against each other from the movements of the boys they belonged to. 

With Orion ahead of them as if an audience to their own show, Shiro and Keith scarfed down the pizza bites and Doritos while they shared events they caught, or were caught in, at the farewell party that night. 

It was a learned skill to shove their mouths full of junk food and tell stories at the same time. Most others would be covered in crumbs or choke on their half-chewed meal whereas neither of them left any trace of evidence that they’d talked with their mouths full. They also never figured out if they should be proud of their achievement or embarrassed. It was Keith who decided that it was never embarrassing unless it was done around anyone other than each other. Shiro agreed. 

Keith brought a knee up to his chest and leaned his left shoulder against Shiro. Shiro handed him the last pizza bite and Keith took it between his fingers like a jewel. He inspected the small piece of fried junk that held such warm and cheesy goodness and kissed it before he tossed it into his mouth with an obnoxious amount of muffled pleasure. 

Shiro nearly buckled over at Keith’s goofiness and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, his fingertips just brushing against Keith’s knee. The boy’s long dark waves billowed around Shiro’s face softly when Keith laid his head back on Shiro. 

Without thought nor hesitation, Keith’s fingers found Shiro’s by his knee and tangled them together. Shiro’s natural warmth was like a bonfire. The air was still chilly and sent mild tingles down Keith’s spine, but he was warm enough to stay comfortable. He welcomed any extra heat Shiro’s body offered since his jacket was deceiving and didn’t shield him at all from the night chills. 

Shiro placed a kiss on Keith’s head and reached over to the plate covered in perfectly decorated cupcakes. “You like snickerdoodles, right?”  
Keith lifted his head, his eyes pinched in question, “Those are the cinnamon cookies?”  
“That is correct.”  
“I’ve had them before. I liked them, sure.”  
Shiro held one in front of Keith and kept their right hands interlocked as he pried off the wrapping and placed it in Keith’s free hand. “Shiro,” Keith raised his brow with a pout.  
Shiro unwrapped a second cupcake then held it in front of himself, “Yes?”  
Keith didn’t think he really needed to state such a silly thing. Surely, Shiro saw that these were cupcakes and, “This is not a cookie.”  
Shiro gasped in mock disbelief, “I’ve been foiled! He knows the difference! What ever will I do now that my plan has been soiled?” He then crushed half of his cupcake between his teeth and ‘mm’d in satisfaction. 

Keith rolled his eyes, “Seriously.” He turned the cupcake back and forth. It looked like it had come out of a factory. The cake itself was an even golden brown color all around. The creamy white frosting was piped with such precision that Keith couldn’t find where it began and if the point was really an end. It held that signature curl that he swore could only be seen in magazines. There was something sprinkled on top. He felt like he was looking at it too closely to try to figure out what it was, but it was still too dark to tell. 

Shiro’s laughter interrupted Keith’s cupcake inspection, “It’s a snickerdoodle cupcake, love. That’s cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.” 

Keith’s expression loosed the more curious he became of it. He bit into a small quarter of it and contemplated the explosion of flavor he suddenly experienced. Then he paused and Shiro worried that maybe he didn’t like them. 

Keith shoved the rest of the cupcake in his mouth and reached over Shiro’s lap for another one before he’d finished chewing the first. His sudden burst of excitement over food made Shiro smile as he grabbed another one for himself. 

Only after a few minutes, both boys had nearly cleared the plate. Shiro sat back on his right elbow. His left arm crossed over his torso, fingers mindlessly fiddled with Keith’s who was laid on his back with his head resting on Shiro’s hip.  
Every so often, the wind lifted Keith’s bangs back and Shiro brushed them to the side of his face. Keith closed his eyes and sighed with contentment then went back to play with their fingers again. 

“Snickerdoodle cupcakes.” Keith finally spoke softly into the sky, “Who would think to do that?”  
A smile played on Shiro’s face, “Created by the one and only.”  
Keith turned his face to meet Shiro’s gaze. “That kid! Again?”  
_“That kid,”_ Shiro repeated. “I think he goes by Hunk.”  
Keith made a silent, ‘Ah’ in remembrance. “That’s right.” If he were going to be honest, he didn’t actually know who that was. Not even a mental image came to mind, but he’d heard his name tossed around between classmates. He turned his face toward the sky again, “He’s a genius, yeah? Those were the best cupcakes I’ve ever had.”  
“And you had three.”  
Keith raised an eyebrow with a smirk, “Can you blame me?”  
Shiro glanced down at their pile of wrappers between them. One, two, three, four, fiv-. Shiro bit his lip. Seven. There were seven wrappers in total and Shiro tried not to think about the total calories he’d just consumed in one sitting.  
He finally responded with a “No” too small and too soft for a man of his size.  
The small, regretted response paired with a pout sent Keith into a gentle giggling fit that Shiro eventually had to join in on. 

~~~

“What do you think you’ll find out there?” Keith asked the question so softly it seemed as if he hadn’t meant to ask it outloud. With half-lidded eyes and both hands holding Shiro’s arm over his chest, he remained entranced by the galaxy he wished he could see in greater detail. 

“Who knows,” Shiro answered just as softly. It was crazy to think that those stars wouldn’t be so far away anymore after that night. “I just wish…” He wanted to say it, but he decided against his words that voiced how torn his heart was between the stars and the boy he wasn’t allowed to be in a relationship with. They knew what the other wanted, but they were strict with each other. Shiro couldn’t help placing a kiss on Keith’s head or cheek sometimes, Keith did so rarely anyways. They had agreed on no making out. Anything more than simple quick gestures could easily be seen by a passerby. Keith had been the one to make that decision; the last thing he wanted to do to Shiro was cause trouble and strip him of his promotion.  
That was the entire reason they met on the roof every now and then. No lights, no eyes, no cameras. It was just them. Neither would have it any other way. 

Shiro directed his attention back to an answer to Keith’s curiosity. Keith’s eyes were closed and his head lifted then sank steadily along with Shiro’s breaths. He ran his free hand through Keith’s hair and watched as his mouth lifted into a smile. 

“Aside from finding the ice crystals to complete the mission, I’m not sure what we’ll find. Other planets, possibly habitable. Asteroids. Mine fields.”  
“Well, I hope you’ve learned a thing or two from the-” Keith cleared his throat and held a mocking tone, “-best pilot around.”  
Shiro brushed his tone aside, “Oh, I’ve learned plenty.” 

Keith had made a joke about himself, but Shiro didn’t play along with it. He opened his eyes and sensed the genuine honesty in his words.  
“Huh?” He hadn’t meant that to come out curtly, but, honestly, what the hell was Shiro on about. Learning plenty from him. Learning what. What good was there to learn from Keith Kogane; the kid who’d barely made it through disciplinary classes and hid behind a guy who had spent far too many days in arguments with Commander Iverson just to keep him there.

Shiro felt Keith tense underneath his arm. Nails dug into his skin slightly with Keith’s increased grip. He rubbed his thumb against Keith’s collarbone and brushed his bangs back until Keith released a sigh. “He’s taught me how to navigate through so much more than simulated mine fields. I’ll be forever grateful for everything he’s taught me.” Shiro gave Keith’s shoulder a squeeze and the two grew silent once again. 

When Keith spoke, his throat felt tight and his voice was hushed from the strain he suddenly felt, “What am I gonna do without you?” 

Shiro’s eyes widened at the same moment that he sat up and looked down at Keith, who’d shut his eyes. Shiro bent over to bring his face closer to Keith’s and held his face, gently demanding Keith to look at him. Keith only pinched his eyes closed more and kept his grip on Shiro’s right arm.  
Shiro spoke with an authority he rarely had to use on Keith lately, “You’re going to do exactly what we discussed before. You’ll be fine as long as you don’t give them a reason to kick you out and I don’t think you will.” 

Keith pushed himself off Shiro’s lap, brought his knees to his chest, and curled in on himself. He didn’t want to talk about this. He didn’t want to talk about anything that caused distress between them. Of all the possible ways that night could end on it would not be like that! He just couldn’t find it in him to want to talk about this.  
However, there was a piece of him that knocked him at his core and no matter how much he had shoved the fear aside, he couldn’t help but focus on the “what if” that was, what if Shiro didn’t make it back. Even though that was an irrational fear, he couldn’t let Shiro leave with the image of his stubbornness. 

“Shiro.” Shiro’s bangs swayed softly through the air as he lifted his head towards Keith’s voice. He saw Keith’s back rise steadily then fall in a deep breath before the boy continued. 

“I know I’ve-” Keith rubbed the back of his neck, “slipped up sometimes still, but it’s been two years since I’ve done anything reasonable to be in trouble for and they’re still threatening-”

“I discussed this with them too, Keith,” Shiro reached for Keith’s arm and coerced him back to lean into his chest. “Trust me,” he kept his voice soft, but steady with reassurance, and brushed his fingers through Keith’s hair then laid his cheek against the boy’s forehead. “I thought everything through. They’re not allowed to make any decisions about you in my absence as long as you don’t give them reason to and they have to get approval from me first.” 

Keith relaxed more into Shiro’s chest. He felt weaker the stronger Shiro’s hold on him became. His deeper voice trailed right above his ear, the hot breath sent chills down his spine and caused his shoulders to slump. It was exactly what he needed to silence the emotional turmoil.

Shiro continued brushing his hair, “I know you don’t think you’ve changed that much over the last few years, but you’re wrong about yourself.” Shiro felt him inhale a shaky breath. “I’ve seen a pretty big change in you, Keith. You’ve grown more into a leader than you give yourself credit for. I’m not worried about you,” He kissed Keith’s forehead, “I know you’ll be fine.” 

Keith kept his eyes shut; he knew if he opened them he’d feel the sting of a tear. His pale arms wrapped around Shiro’s and caused Shiro to draw his knees in against him.  
After what seemed like minutes, Keith inhaled deeply and dared to crack his eyes open to the mass difference that was his and Shiro’s arms. Keith never considered himself skinny exactly. He was built fairly well. He could pick up Shiro off his feet, that had been tested and accomplished, but Shiro’s arms were still more built up than Keith’s thighs. The comparison made his face crack a smile as he massaged Shiro’s bicep with his thumb back and forth. 

“We should be back in time to celebrate your graduation.”

Shiro squeezed and Keith felt like a marshmallow being squished by the entirety of the other boy’s body until he let out a grunted laugh. Shiro placed a kiss on Keith’s shoulder before he let go of him, “Let’s look forward to that, huh?”

“Then we can go on missions together.” Shiro brushed a strand of Keith’s bangs behind his ear to see his face. Keith added with a murmur, “No excuses from the Garrison.”  
Shiro flashed a smile and sat back on his hands, “We can go on any missions together.”  
Keith wrapped his arms around his knees again and scanned the stars. A hint of a smile appeared as he spoke with what he hoped would be a promising future, “That’s the dream.”

Keith’s steely blue eyes sent Shiro into a trance he had no plans to be snapped out of. That look. That smile right there. That smile was barely traceable on his lips, but his eyes…  
Those eyes smiled as if he had finally been given all the answers to every single question he’d carried on his shoulders for years. 

“Is that what you want?” 

“With you?” Keith looked over his shoulder and locked onto Shiro’s eyes, “More than anything.” 

The words had come out so naturally that it seemed to shock them both. It wasn’t a shock of fear. No. They stared at each other and suddenly sensed the gravity of commitment and what that meant for them, to them. It was as if something had reached inside and yanked out a red string of fate that solidified their emotions as anything but fleeting. It solidified what they felt, but more than what they expected. They knew they loved each other, but it solidified something much more simple and yet more all-encompassing. 

It solidified them. 

Keith could feel a tear form again and snapped his head away. He hoped it would crawl it’s way back into his eye if he blinked. It crawled the other way. He was thankful that at least it was from his left eye, so Shiro wouldn’t see it. 

Shiro brushed his bangs to the side with a shake of his head and a soft giggle. He looked ahead and above and found Orion as he stood guard above them. The constellation had moved farther up north by now. 

He sighed, “That’s what I want too.”

Keith fidgeted, closed his knees further into himself and turned his head away enough to hide his face completely. 

“After we’re relieved, we could go anywhere or everywhere. I’ll leave that up to you.” 

No response. 

Shiro sensed why Keith didn’t want him to see his face. He forced himself to continue to talk. It helped. 

“That’s our goal still, right?”

A small sniffle cut through the quiet air. 

“After we’re out of the Garrison’s orders, we’re still planning on traveling far from here and stopping at the first place we like, stay for a while, then keep moving on from place to place until we see everything-”

“Quit bein’ sappy.” Keith’s voice was quiet and rough. He’d forced himself to say something so Shiro would stop, but it was at the expense of revealing his emotions. It wasn’t that making it known to Shiro that he was on the brink of tears was an embarrassment, but it was still something he’d rather not have happen.

Shiro didn’t find his curt interruption to be offensive; instead, he understood and softened himself. He could hear what Keith was holding back, “Keith, it’s okay to cr-”

“I’m not crying!”

The crack of his voice in that last word felt like it echoed off of the building and the mountain range that surrounded it.

The air stilled around them. The wind which had been so consistent before was barely there now. Shiro’s breath felt weighed down by an invisible force and made it uncomfortable for him to fill his lungs with the crisp air. He stayed quiet. He knew Keith wouldn’t take his leaving well when it was announced months ago. He knew what Keith was afraid of, but it didn’t matter how many talks they had, how often he reminded Keith of the precautionaries the Garrison took. It didn’t matter how confident Shiro was that he’d be back. 

Keith didn’t need to say how afraid he was to be left alone. He already knew. He’d already seen it in Keith’s life. The comings and the goings of trust left abandoned, of promises left empty to dry out and rot in the middle of a desert. Left out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but himself. He could only pray that Keith found it in himself to know that he would be fine. He would be okay. They would both be okay. They’d be okay.

Right?

A warmth clung to Shiro’s eyes and before he knew it he’d rushed to dig his palms into the sockets of his eyes. He swiped his hands slowly down his cheeks and with them the dampness from his eyes. He looked down at his palms now lightly painted with streaks of a wet clear gloss. He’d held it together so well leading up to this point. He felt betrayed by his own emotions. 

A shaky sniffle coming from his right shook Shiro out of his own mind and he focused his sight on Keith. The boy’s raven hair was parted far enough away from his eyes that it gave Shiro a window to see a tear bud at the corner of his eye, pause on the waterline, then fall swiftly over his cheekbone to the ground. Shiro’s mouth fell open and he leaned forward into Keith’s space. He wasn’t sure what to do, but he knew this wasn’t how this night was going to end. He’d do anything he could to make sure that it didn’t end like this. 

That tear had been fighting to fall for the last few minutes and, if Keith was going to be honest with himself for once, he was tired of fighting it to stay. He kept his sight ahead of him, only scanning Shiro’s form from his peripheral, but he knew Shiro had seen the tear fall. He’d leaned closer the moment it had fallen just like Keith figured he would. He didn’t dare wipe the tear away. There were too many on the left side of his face to care anyways. 

He took a chance and shifted his gaze to his right and met Shiro’s eyes, widened, filled with a concern that told him he didn’t need to explain, but he needed to tell Shiro how to help. He didn’t have an answer for the silent plea that Shiro’s grey eyes held. He could only keep his eyes focused on the other boy’s. Then he noticed the mess of wetness under Shiro’s eyes and turned his face more to him. 

Keith’s body burned with an urgency before he reached a hand out to grab Shiro’s shirt. He didn’t know why he did it nor how his limbs had overtaken such control of him, but he gripped the collar and yanked Shiro into his space until their lips clashed with a force, a shock, a sudden unexplainable wash of relief and need that neither of them knew they’d held within themselves. 

Shiro’s arms lifted behind him from being yanked before they swung forward and his hands caught on Keith’s back. It took him a few seconds of feeling Keith’s cold lips slowly warm up on his own to fully register that Keith- Keith was kissing him right now. 

_Screw the “no kissing” rule._

Shiro quickly shut his eyes as he embraced what he could of their warmth, their closeness. He expected it to be short. He expected at any moment for Keith to open his eyes in shock and shove himself away; instead, Keith’s death grip on Shiro’s collar loosened and his fingertips lightly traced the muscles up Shiro’s neck until his palm smoothed against the side of it, sending a shiver from the back of his head down his spine. His hands found the small dip in Keith’s slightly trembling back and splayed his fingers across the soft skin.

Keith held Shiro’s neck with his right hand while his left found itself at Shiro’s temple. His thumb stroked along his brow bone to the edge of his hairline as he kept Shiro’s face steady. Not that he needed to; Shiro untensed under Keith’s grip and let a hum vibrate through them. The muffled noise encouraged Keith to moan in response, to deepen his kiss, to shift his weight more against one another, and claw his fingers through the back of Shiro’s short cut hair as they then fought to keep up with each other’s force. 

Shiro’s right hand came up to brush back Keith’s bangs behind his ear. He traced his thumb underneath Keith’s eye and wiped away the build up of tears, feeling Keith’s lips tremble in between their quick breaths and kisses that they weren’t sure if they were doing right. But who really cared if they were? The grip against his hair increased and Keith’s hands were suddenly going wild from caressing his face, to combing his bangs back through his fingers, to sliding his fingers from Shiro’s jawline down his throat and back up to tangle his fingers into what was there of Shiro’s hair. 

Shiro felt more tears fall into his hand on Keith’s face. He kept pace with Keith as best as he could, but leaned into the boy and stroked his fingers with his other hand through Keith’s hair in an effort to sooth him. Keith fought against the suggestion to settle down with a moan and a bite to Shiro’s bottom lip that made him flinch. He was making up for crying again, Shiro knew that, so he grew slightly more forceful in calming Keith down, bringing his hands to the sides of Keith’s face and shushing him through kisses until they finally slowed. 

Keith let out a whimper with shoulders that shook from his release of pain and desperation. He fought against the continued hushes that Shiro gave him when he could, when Keith would allow them. When he finally bided by Shiro’s inaudible suggestions to settle down was when he felt warm hands pull his hair back then spread over the back of his neck, over his shoulders, down and back up his arms, then over his rib cage. 

It drew a shudder out of Keith that made him break them apart. They held each other, foreheads leaning against one another, their faces angled to continue when they’d caught their breath again. He didn’t notice how little he’d been breathing the whole time. His senses felt heightened and like they’d been mushed and he couldn’t make sense of it. What he could make sense of was how close he and Shiro were right there. Eyes closed, arms wrapped around Shiro’s neck, Shiro’s arms encircling Keith’s ribcage, their breaths warming their faces and sending now familiar senses even when apart. Keith didn’t know what to expect before, but to his surprise he hadn’t expected to feel such security. He didn’t think he’d feel so unashamed. 

He felt safe. He felt happy. 

Shiro felt the muscles in the boy’s back tremble as more tears fell and he quickly reached up to wipe them away.  
“It’s okay,” Shiro’s hushed voice sent comforting shivers through Keith’s entirety, “I’m crying too.” A quiet gentle chuckle left his lips and Keith couldn’t help but let out a smile back.  
Shiro gave Keith a kiss so soft and sweet that Keith swore he was going to have his breath and his heart stolen from him forever. He’d be left to melt into the ground, only to be held together by the boy who’d always been there somehow. 

The tremble in his lips came back as he whispered against Shiro with a crack, “I don’t want to miss you.” 

Shiro’s breath caught in his throat before a sob broke through him and he held the sides of Keith’s face, stealing the boy’s breath from him with another kiss. A deep, slow, lingering kiss that brought them both back wanting more. Shiro locked his fingers into Keith’s tangled hair. Keith had snuck his hands under Shiro’s shirt and felt around his curves, his abdomen, his ribs, his chest, around his back. He shifted more without breaking from Shiro and swung his right leg over Shiro’s lap to straddle him. He didn’t think his senses could heighten more until Shiro let out another moan, it felt more like a content growl, and his mind was completely lost. 

No matter how close they held, no matter how their tongues danced, it didn’t feel like enough. Shiro slowly pulled the hem of Keith’s jacket down, slid it off his arms, then tossed it to the side. With a grunt, Keith shifted himself up and slid his hands down Shiro’s smooth and defined torso until his palms hit the edge of his pants. He curled his fingers underneath the hem before Shiro muffled an unintelligible warning and gently used a hand to wrap around Keith’s wrists and bring them back up near his neck. Keith’s shoulders slacked with a sigh that sent them both chills. 

Shiro carefully rocked them backwards, making sure not to land on his back with too much of a thud. Thankfully, Keith sensed where he was going and used a hand to shield Shiro’s head from the floor. He arched his back in and thoughtlessly twisted his fingers through Shiro’s bangs while stroking his thumb along Shiro’s brow bone. 

Minutes felt like seconds, but as the lights around the facility began to die, so did their tears. Anxiousness melted into warm intimacy. Desperation became contentedness. Uncertainty shifted into a comfort that could easily become familiar. That familiarity was what was going to fade a little more day after day; that realization is what kept them praying for the morning to never show it’s light. 

It was a strange thing to notice how quiet the night was. They were too high above ground to hear any crickets. The wind wasn’t gone, but it too had settled. There were distant howls from the canyons, but even those were so far in the distance they were barely audible. The sound of their ragged breaths between connection and separation was the only noise that engulfed their senses. 

Shiro suddenly jolted from another bite to his bottom lip, sharper than the first one. Keith’s chest rumbled with an amused chuckle still holding Shiro’s lip between his teeth. Hands slid back down then crawled under the cotton shirt to rest on the boy’s chest. Shiro’s hands, radiating heat, stretched against the sides of his face and he released Shiro’s poor lip with a gentle scratch. He scanned the stars reflected in those wolf grey eyes and smirked at how red and swollen Shiro’s lips were. 

Shiro smiled lovingly at Keith’s pride in already doing a number on him. He lifted his head up to touch his forehead to Keith’s and exhaled until a shiver ran through his spine and over his limbs. Keith’s hands felt like an angel’s touch spread across the skin of his chest. If he had scars, he’d swear that Keith’s touch could heal them. 

Their breathing evened out after a few moments before Shiro decided to try to speak again. His voice had a raspy tinge to it, “We won’t have to fight this for long. I’ll be back in time, I promi-”  
“Don’t.” The sharp and husky response caused Shiro to open his eyes in shock. “Don’t promise me anything, Shiro.” Keith opened his eyes to reveal a fear hidden deep within himself, “You know I hate those.”

Shiro gulped back his apology. He should’ve known better than to mention any sort of promise to Keith. The boy had been promised this and that and multitudes of happy lives that promised more happy futures. 

Not one of them had been kept. 

Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith’s slender shoulders and laid back down to cradle him into his chest. When he rested his cheek on Keith’s head, the boy buried his face as far as he could into the crook of Shiro’s neck. He took in a deep breath. The gentle breath from Keith tickled against his skin. He waited for Keith to exhale again so he could match his breathing while his fingers traced against Keith’s spine. 

Shiro’s dark and musky scent invaded his senses like walking into the deepest part of the woods. He had only experienced that once, when he was young; it had stuck with him and he longed to walk through the woods again. Somewhere. Anywhere. 

“Do you trust me?” 

It came out of nowhere. If Keith’s ear hadn’t been so close he swore he never would have heard his whisper. Shiro had asked that before. Many times before. It was always asked when Shiro sensed any doubt from Keith. Why he sensed that now, he didn’t know. 

Or maybe he did. 

The words rang around in his head like someone picking at the keys of a grand piano in a ball room. They seemed to fill the entirety of his headspace, sustaining long enough to stop his thoughts, his doubts, his fears that he so rarely verbally admitted, before slowly fading off one note at a time until all had cleared.

“You know I do, Shiro.” A feather-light kiss was placed on Shiro’s jaw. His stubble tickled against his lips, but he once again welcomed the warmth that Shiro’s skin seemed to radiate. Maybe it was more himself than it was Shiro at this point. 

Shiro smiled and held the boy closer to him. Keith’s soft hair weaved around Shiro’s fingers as he pressed his face to Keith’s forehead with a whisper, “That’s my Keith. Make them eat their words.” He placed a kiss on his forehead which was more on the boy’s dark hair. 

Keith’s reply started with a grunt when he shifted to straddle Shiro again, “That’s what I’ve been told I do best.” He crossed his arms over Shiro’s chest and laid his chin on his forearms, looking right into Shiro’s dark eyes with a soft smirk. 

“Those voices aren’t wrong.” Shiro splayed his hands over Keith’s head, smoothing out his hair, untangling the ends of it gently, thoughtlessly. 

“You really are the best pilot around. No one can come close to-” 

Eyes widened with a snap in the same moment that his breath had been sucked out of his lungs with Keith’s sudden crash of a kiss. 

It was over as quickly as it started. Keith pulled them apart with a pop then swiped his hand across his mouth with a glint in his eyes. He huffed out a chuckle, “I’m pretty good at eating your’s too.” 

A few blinks later and Shiro was giggling. He held the sides of Keith’s face and lifted himself up to meet their lips up again. In a split second, Keith’s face broke into a brilliant smile, barely grazing Shiro’s nose, before feigning aloofness and shot himself into an upright seat. He rocked back and forth smiling at the sky, “Do you think you’ll find aliens up there?”  
Shiro’s chest rumbled with a laugh, “You little punk. You’re going to kill the mood like that-”  
“Don’t you think it’s possible? I mean, there are planets out there that we both believe we haven’t been able to see on our scanners yet. There has to be something else out there besides us.” 

Shiro rubbed his thumbs in circles against Keith’s hips as the boy’s cooly excited voice called out to the universe for answers no textbook on the known galaxy nor an enthusiastic blog on a conspiracy lover’s site could give. They’d talked over extraterrestrial life for days on end. Conversations moved from chatting over meals to sneaking texts to each other during classes and lectures. Shiro never liked feeling like he was distracting Keith from his studies until he’d realized their conversations helped to keep him occupied and interested more than harmed his concentration on his work. 

“You know,” Keith’s torso lifted then fell in a sigh, “I’ve seen purple lights in the sky before. Only at night, though. Maybe it’s my imagination or from reading too many theories, but I’m betting on aliens.” Shiro arched his head back towards the sky before looking back at the stunning image of Keith Kogane above him. His silhouette was outlined by the faint light of the stars. As beautiful as the image was, he was pouting. Shiro’s eyes narrowed. 

“I’m gonna be pissed if you meet them without me.”

“I’ll make sure to give them your greeting, if I do.”

Keith made fists against Shiro’s collarbones. He brought his face close. His eyes burned with a possessive passion that made Shiro’s gut do kick flips and his voice held a tinge of a growl, “Make sure to tell them that I’m going to need you back too. No hogging allowed.”

Shiro disguised his shock with a smirk. 

Keith sat back up with his arms crossed, “That’s an order, Senior Officer Shirogane.”

“Yes, sir,” was all that made it out of Shiro’s mouth before Keith was locked into his larger arms and being smothered in kisses on his cheeks, hair, back of his neck, shoulders, under his chin, ears, nose, eyelids. Muffled yelps made their way between the giggles and squirming to get away from him, but Shiro wasn’t letting go. Panting, the boy pushed himself against massive shoulders and wiggled himself up more. It only gave Shiro easier access to wrap his arms tighter around the bare dip in his waist and place random kisses on his chest and arms and ribs. Keith let out a belting laugh when the kisses started to tickle. “Shiro!” Keith clapped a hand over his mouth when Shiro gripped his waist and ducked down to kiss below his navel. 

Love wasn’t a thing Keith was all that familiar with, but if he could describe it now then it felt like someone had thrown a match down his throat. When it hit his gut it sent his body ablaze. It was invigorating. It was satisfying. It was uncomfortable. It was risky. He liked that. It was a risk to be this close to a supposed mentor. It was a risk to touch and be touched by a Senior Officer. It was a risk to be a Cadet and notice how turned on the Garrison Golden boy was right now.

There were some risks he couldn’t take now. Not now. Not yet. 

A hand gripped the back of Shiro’s head and pulled him away. He was aware too because of course he was. They stared at each other. Widened wild eyes, heavy breaths, exhausted laughter. Beads of sweat had developed on their foreheads. Aching hearts pleaded that fate would never separate their souls again when one returned to the other. If the universe had to be fought to make that happen, so be it.

Keith swore he was made of fire with the way Shiro held him now and he shifted slightly down until Shiro splayed his hands along his back instead. He laid a hand on Shiro’s cheek and bent down to press their foreheads together. Smiles refused to leave their lips. Their breaths melted into their skin. Shiro nudged his nose along Keith’s and made the boy breathe out a giggle. 

“You’re forever mine, Takashi.” 

Shiro’s throat grew tight. “Forever mine, Love.” His lips caught Keith’s a final time before tickling the boy’s sides with his fingertips, sending his head to whip back in laughter, and playfully try to shove himself off. 

Shiro continued to tickle until he had Keith underneath of him. He twisted around the lanky boy’s curling body to place kisses wherever he could as quickly as he could manage. They pushed, turned, laughed, squirmed from tickles, kissed, twisted, and kissed some more. 

Laughter lifted from their lungs and filled their careless atmosphere. Who cared if anyone caught them? This night was there’s. They reassured each other that it wouldn’t be their last. 

~~~

With clenched fists and a tightened jaw, Keith swallowed his memories down, internalized them, gripped to the moments he wished he could have back. 

His sense of time and fate knew better. He would never get those times back. 

He’d have to fight to make new ones. 

The glare of the lights above him pierced his sight before it was enveloped by the Black Lion’s presence. Keith told himself he wasn’t replacing Shiro. He was simply doing what was best for the team. He was doing what Shiro had wanted. Ultimately, he was taking the position Black had granted him. He was doing what he could get Shiro back. 

Black was intimidating. The lion was almost twice the size of Red, but it wasn’t the size that sent a nervous shock through his system. It wasn’t Black’s stare back at him that created a looming sense of potential failure. His team’s words of discomfort and doubt circled through his mind like a headless chicken gone mad. 

He snapped his eyes shut as he sucked in a shaken breath and that’s when he felt his grip loosen on his emotions. All he could do was stand in place, but he felt like he was spinning. He could do this! He couldn’t do this. He was doing what Shiro wanted. He was replacing Shiro! The team needed him. He needed Shiro. The universe needed Voltron! No Black Lion, no Voltron. Black had chosen him now. No one wanted this!

_“That’s my Keith. Make them eat their words.”_

The memory of Shiro’s words was so clear they made his eyes open and his body freeze. He could feel the last few tears run down his nose to the floor by his feet. 

In an instant, his thoughts had cleared. Those words were all that remained. A rush of peace and determination lifted the weight of fear off his body. He breathed deep then reached his hand up, laid his gloved fingers on the cool metal of Black’s jaw, and dug up the potential of being a leader that he’d long since buried and hoped would be left to remain forgotten. 

Both the Black Paladin and his lion saw something more in him. It was time to see if they were right. 

“Wait for me, Shiro. I’m not giving up on you either.” 

Keith stepped back, gave Black an “I’m ready” nod of his head, then used his jets to fly up and fall into Black’s cockpit. Within seconds, the Black Lion’s eyes beamed to life, righted it’s position, then shook the castle with a roar before taking off through the doors that lead to a dark universe. 

Somewhere out there Shiro was waiting, fighting. Keith was going to do whatever it took to bring him home.

**Author's Note:**

> Did you really read all of that?! Holy crow, if you did, you're awesome and I wish I could throw you a personal cake! <3 THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU! I don't write all that often and especially not as much as I used to, but Sheith is worth a shot at writing another fic. It got out of hand, to say the least lol. It was meant to be a one-shot and well it's um it's not. At all. There were a lot of challenges with interactions I'd never tried writing before, but it was fun and I hope it was at least fun to read. :)


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